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Bonfire warning from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue

Image of Flames

Local grassland, verges, hedgerows and fields are extremely dry following the unusually hot weather. This means that there is a real risk of fire starting from human behaviour and impacting on property and others. Milton Keynes has the benefit of much green space, but the prolonged high temperatures have led to this becoming tinder dry, so any fire has the potential to spread quickly. Local grassland, verges, hedgerows and fields are extremely dry following the unusually hot weather. This means that there is a real risk of fire starting from human behaviour and impacting on property and others. Milton Keynes has the benefit of much green space, but the prolonged high temperatures have led to this becoming tinder dry, so any fire has the potential to spread quickly.

Sadly, areas such as the Blue Lagoon nature reserve have been impacted recently by discarded rubbish either catching light accidentally or being deliberately set light to.

Since the start of July, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called to 68 bonfires at an already busy time with a number of large-scale incidents. Please do not have bonfires during times of extreme heat. Consider the potential impact of bonfires, barbecues and discarded rubbish starting a fire that may spread and damage the area you were enjoying.

Please consider:

  • taking a picnic not a barbecue on a day out and taking all rubbish home with you. If you can carry it there, you can carry it home
  • thinking twice before discarding cigarettes, especially from car windows where you cannot see what might develop. Ideally extinguish them in water
  • how tinder dry everything is. If you must have a barbecue, bonfire, or woodburner, don’t do so on grass that can easily catch light
  • if you choose to have a barbecue or bonfire at home, have a hose and buckets of water to hand – the water pressure from a standard hose may not be sufficient to extinguish a bonfire spreading to grass
  • Not leaving a barbecue, bonfire or woodburner to burn out – when everything you want to burn has done so, extinguish the embers with water and turn them over to check that there is no potential for them to continue to smoulder

For your information and further resources:

  • Disposable barbecues are no longer permitted on any of The Parks Trust sites
  • Emberton Country Park is for picnics only - barbecues are only allowed in the camping area